A/N: Had this done halfway after finishing the previous chapters. So thought I'd finish it before going on my hiatus. I hadn't partially completed Out into the Light, or A New Life, after the previous chapters. So new chapters for those stories would be coming back at the end of my two-month hiatus. Cheers.
Acathla's Hell.
Tara looked around at her surroundings while she covered her nose from the stench of rotting flesh among the rising flames that were all around her. She squinted, trying to keep the heat away from her eyes, as she stared at the screaming bodies that were impaled into tall, sharp, wooden stakes which were set on the ground. A ground which was warm, and orange. Looking up from the ground, Tara saw demons flaying some of the bodies on the stakes, while others were being bled out from cuts being made on their bodies, and others were being eaten while the body was still alive and screaming out in pain. And all Tara wanted to do was throw up, but it was at that moment when she felt a presence behind her.
Turning around, Tara came face to face with a blood soaked, and nude, white haired Willow. The witch looked into the emerald green eyes of the white haired young woman, and then opened her to gasp, taking in the stench laden air, as Willow's hand thrust forward and grabbed her neck. Tara felt Willow's hand squeeze around her neck, her fingers dinging into her throat while she grabbed Willow's hand and tried to speak. Tara was scratching the arm that was holding onto her… anything to make the young woman release her. Ultimately, Tara was unsuccessful since she felt her larynx being crushed with Willow looking back at her. Willow was giving Tara a cold stare as she set her jaw, without an expression on her face. But Willow's eyes carried everything Tara needed to know; she saw rage, anguish, madness, and hopelessness.
"W… Wi…." rasped Tara as Willow's hands tightened around her throat when suddenly there were demons that crashed into her. Tara fell onto the warm ground as the demons roared, and Willow howled in pain. Looking up from where she was lying on her stomach, Tara watched as Willow gave off screams of pain that witch had never heard. It felt as if her own bones were quaking when a demon grabbed Willow by the throat, and then raised her up with one hand before slamming her back into the ground.
"No!" screamed Tara; but it was too late. Willow's screams had stopped with her head laying at an odd angle. The white haired young woman's eyes were looking lifelessly right back at Tara who was slowly standing up. The young witch then saw the demons tearing apart Willow's body before feeding on her corpse. It was just then that there were flashes of light all around her. Once the lights faded away, Tara stumbled back upon finding herself in what looked like a dungeon with a roaring fire in one corner that had several pokers stabbed into the flames. And then, while rubbing her own neck where Willow had earlier tried to strangle her, Tara looked around horrified at the machines that seemed to exist to only inflict pain on the screaming bodies that were inside them.
"Goddess," gasped Tara as she heard a female sobbing. Turning around after she had gotten up from the red coloured floor, Tara saw Willow hanging in mid-air, her hands were stretched over her head with chains that were attached to manacles around her wrist from the ceiling. Tara didn't understand what was happening. She had seen Willow die with her own eyes, and here she was once again alive, 'unless its Hell itself. It's a place of eternal torment, at least all variations of Hell dimensions are supposed to be. So if she died, and she's alive again… then… then.. Hell must have brought her back to life to suffer.'
Tara walked past the screaming bodies of men and women, all of whom, unknown to Tara, had sold their souls to Acathla's lieutenants on Earth for anything that they wished. She had to jerk her arm from a few who were reaching for her, pleading between screams for help. With tears in her eyes at watching the suffering of the people around her, Tara dashed past them and headed towards the sobbing Willow.
"Willow," said Tara as she looked at the hanging young woman who was swinging back and forth, her body was nude and pale as she looked down at the floor. Tara lingered on her before looking up at the chain, and saw that it was securely fastened to the ceiling of the dungeon. She then looked back at Willow's hanging head, her white hair covering her face while a few teardrops fell onto the reddish coloured floor. Tara guessed that this was the young woman's memory of what she experienced in Hell, or at least part of it. Tara knew that she needed to draw the former redhead out. So Tara started to speak, "you… you attacked me. D- do you remember? I- I think you know I'm in your memory, and… and I think you're lashing out. You're not alone, Willow. I- I'm not a fig- figment of your imagination. Ca- Can you hear me?"
Tara saw Willow slowly raise her head, and look straight into her eyes. Willow's mouth was about to open when she looked up behind the newcomer, while Tara turned around, at the sound of a door slamming shut. Tara then turned around to see Willow's eyes wide open, and her body shaking, upon hearing the heavy footsteps walking towards them.
"Pre- pre- pretty lady," whispered Willow as Tara took a step forward and gave her a small smile. Tara wanted to reach for, and hold, her hand. But given that her hands were chained over her head, it would be impossible. Tara felt uncomfortable in holding onto her leg to comfort her, even if this was simply a memory, "no- no- leave."
"I.. I'm here, I… I'm not leaving," stammered Tara as Borzan walked past her and placed his hand on Willow's hips while staring at her chest which was at his eye level. Tara looked on in horror as Borzan lay a hand on her neck, and then with the edge of his fingers, traced a trail from the nap of her neck, down her chest, and to her abdomen. He then looked up at Willow, who was still looking at Tara with tears in her eyes. The white haired young woman stifled a scream as Borzan grabbed both of Willow's hips once again, which one hand moving up to her upper back, and pulling her towards him.
"I smell your soul," hissed Borzan before a grin formed on his face, "once I have given you the Mark of Acathla, of which I will enjoy your screams; I will take away your pain. No more pain as we tear you apart for your soul-enhanced meat. The greatest gift of all in this place, all in exchange for torturing humans. Let me hear you say it again. Tell me that you want this, tell me or else you…"
"Yes," replied Willow as she looked away from Tara and lowered her head, "will… do."
Tara, for her part, could only look on in horror as Borzan bellowed a laugh before letting go of Willow's hips. But not before pushing her, and then dashing past the white haired young woman who was swinging to and fro. Tara approached Willow, as Borzan was strolling back while carrying a white how poker that he had earlier pulled from the roaring fire. Tara saw the circular glowing end, as well as the symbols that were carved in the circle.
"No," mumbled Tara as Borzan raised the poker over his head, the circular end aimed at Willow's chest. Then Borzan held Willow steady by grabbing onto the back of her neck, he then moved forward.. towards the weeping young woman, before he kissed her. Pulling back as Willow coughed, Borzan looked into her eyes and bellowed.
"You will feel this pain," he screamed, the walls and floor trembling while distant screams of demons and various other human prisoners could be heard, "you will be one of Acathla's jailers, one of his tools of torture. You will kill, maim, destroy their bodies and minds. You will end them, and they will be reborn here… and then you will end them again. You will do this for all time. This brand…."
Borzan looked back at the still white hot poker in his hand, and then back at Willow with a grin on his face.
"It had been placed in hellfire, the mark… the brand, it will be etched on your flesh, your organs, and your bones for all time. Even when you are resurrected…. You will have this brand etched on your chest," yelled Borzan while Tara looked on with her eyes wide open, "you belong to Acathla from now until all eternity… and in exchange for torturing those I bring to you.. I will take away your pain. But not until I hear your scream one more time. I rather enjoy it."
Tara watched Willow looking back at her, and then at Borzan just as the demon slammed the white hot brand onto her chest. And then Tara heard it.
A wild scream that made Tara place her hands over her ears.
She looked at Willow, whose face was red as she roared out in pain. Unimaginable pain. Then there were flashes of light that covered Willow's body. Light that made Tara look on helplessly as symbols were being carved on her bones and the surface of her organs; the same symbols that were present on the brand that was being burned onto her skin. Tara smelled Willow's burning flesh while the latter continued to scream and Borzan laughed. Tara saw Willow struggling while pulling up on her chains. But nothing was working.
And then, a moment that seemed like hours to Tara, ended by Borzan stepping back and taking the brand off the white haired young woman's chest. The demon's laughter faded away, as did Willow's screams of pain as he dropped the poker onto the ground. Tara looked on as Willow was sobbing with her eyes closed shut; her eyes shut because of the pain that was permeating through he entire body.
Willow could feel her flesh burning as the symbols etched themselves onto her lungs, her heart; and she could feel the burning from her bones at the symbols etched themselves to her ribcage. She knew she was about to lose consciousness from the pain. But she still looked up at the young woman who was looing back at her from behind Borzan. Willow remembered the young woman from the time she found herself out of her cage, it was the same woman who had crashed into her. It was the same woman who was being attacked by the grinning demons, the same woman she saved.
Willow look back at Borzan who was mumbling a spell before he looked at the woman again. Willow had another flash memory of her standing with the three women after the attack, followed by another memory of her being in the room with Althanea. Willow then looked at Borzan once again as he placed his hand on her forehead, and then the pain in her body was gone.
And Willow knew where her memories would take her next. She turned her head to look for the woman, but she wasn't there anymore. And some part of Willow felt it fitting since it was going to be her first day as a Jailer.
Willow's Room, 0700 hours.
Tara's eyes snapped open when she heard another louder scream that had come out of Willow's lips after the poker was pulled off her skin. And all that was left was a brand on the white haired young woman's skin that forced Tara awake. She found herself with her head on the mattress, and her eyes opening to look at Willow's hand laying on the soft bedsheet. Tara then got up, and stretched her arms up over her head while she stood up to see Althanea fast asleep on the couch. Tara put her arms back down and recalled the things they had talked about until it was nearly two in the morning. With it being late, Tara suggested that she sleep here before she had to go back to her dorm room at U.C. Sunnydale.
It was something that Althanea suggested.
Tara remembered Althanea asking her to stay with the sleeping Willow while she went to check on Anya and Xander.
'I said yes,' thought Tara to herself as she creeped towards Willow's head. Tara reached forward and then brushed her white hair from her forehead, and then she pulled her hand back. The young witch felt that it was creepy for her to do what she was doing especially since Willow wasn't awake. So Tara sat back down on the chair, and smiled at Willow before whispering a prayer to the goddess of light, that Willow's soul would be protected from the darkness.
Today was the day that things went fast for Tara, unbelievably fast.
It would be later that day that Tara would meet with Buffy, Giles, Joyce, and the others before they turned to care for Willow. With Althanea's spell knocking Willow out for some time, Tara stepped back and watched as Buffy and Joyce cared for the white haired young woman. It was Jenny, standing next to her, who described the relationship that Willow had with Xander, Buffy, and Giles.
And for another time since she had arrived in Sunnydale for attending the university, Tara was surprised with a revelation.
Buffy was a Slayer. One of two.
Tara had heard of Slayers; her mother had told her about them but she believed that they were a myth. Something to scare the forces of darkness, but she never expected to see one of them. And that was another mystery to Tara, her mother had always told her that there could be only one Slayer in existence. And here she was looking at two. It was something that amazed Tara as she was introduced to Faith, had come back into the room after checking on the conscious, but injured, Xander and Anya.
While the group was getting to know Tara, Giles had slipped out for an urgent meeting with Ira and Sheila's lawyer, who then accompanied him to a judge. It would be later that day that Willow was placed under Giles' guardianship for the next six months until Willow turned eighteen. Once Giles had returned with the paperwork, Althanea began arranging travel to Devon for her and Willow. She told Giles and the others that she could risk Willow getting onto a plane, that she was afraid that the young woman would be frightened, and lash out at the passengers and crew. Instead, she was going to coordinate with the Coven on a teleportation spell that would get them from Sunnydale to Devon instantly. It was after talking to the whole group about the spell, Althanea and the other adults privately asked Tara if she would consent to being the resident witch, someone who could help the Scoobies with their fight against the dark forces.
"We'll understand if you say no," said Althanea while Joyce, Jenny, and Giles sat around her at the waiting room two floors down while Faith and Buffy remained with Willow. The two of whom would be later joined by Riley and Graham who brought flowers for the two young women before telling them that they hadn't told their Commander about the Slayers; it was something that the two young women appreciated.
While Buffy and Faith were speaking with Riley and Graham, telling them about how Willow seemed to be in a catatonic state after her demonic captor murdered her parents to get to her, Tara nodded her head. She told Giles, Jenny, and Joyce that she was willing to help them; and that she would continue to help them even after Althanea returned.
"Of course," replied Althanea.
The Devon Coven, 0820 hours; the next day.
Willow woke up with the sun beating down on her face. She found herself awake on a soft bed in the middle of a large room. The walls were made of stone, and there were pictures and paintings hanging on the walls. She slowly sat up while rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands before placing them on the bed and silently looking around the brightly lit room. She looked at the three windows that allowed light in through the sheers white curtains, and then she looked at the tables around the room, a large closet, and then two side tables on either side of the bed.
She knew that this wasn't the room where she had attacked the blonde; it wasn't the room where she nearly squeezed her life away with her bare hands. Willow looked down at the bed sheet, and was confused about the memories that were flooding in… she closed her eyes as she flew through the stars in one memory, and then was battling a horned robot in another memory. But the one memory that stuck out was the deaths of her parents.
"Mommy, daddy," whispered Willow as a breeze brushed against her cheek. It was something that made Willow turn her head to the left as the curtains started to flutter in the increased breeze. Slowly getting of the bed, Willow walked with her bare feet against the cold floor to the open window. She parted the curtains and gasped at the scenery in front of her. For a thousand years, Willow had seen horror. She didn't remember who she was, her life before hell, or why she was in hell in the first place.
But she hoped to find out.
As she looked at the rolling hills of green outside the fourth floor of the large house she was in, she heard the door knocking behind her. Turning around, Willow looked on as Althanea opened the door and smiled at her. Willow watched as she walked into the room with a much older woman behind her wearing a dark blue dress while her hands were clasped together in front of her body.
"Willow," said Althanea, who sensed that the white haired young woman had plenty of questions, "you're somewhere else. You're in a place called Devon, far away from Sunnydale. I wanted to get you out of there so that you could recover in peace… and this is the woman who'll be helping me. Who will be helping you recover your memories."
"As well as your humanity, my dear," said the older woman as she reached for, and gently held onto the surprised Willow's hands. The older woman looked at the palms of Willow's hands, and then up into her eyes, and smiled, "your memories are fragmented, your spirit is broken, as is your psyche. But all is not lost… I sense something in you. Something that would help you to recover. We will help you find it. My name is Agatha Harkness, Willow… and let us get started."
TBC.